1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to voice mail messaging, and more particularly to a system and method that allows a user to be notified of voice mail messages at a cell phone site.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many people have voice mail systems at their place of work. When messages are left on the voice mail at the business site, the user is typically notified of this new message by a message waiting indicator on the telephone at the business site. In some systems, if the user is not at the site to see the message indicator, the user has no way of knowing of the voice mail and the user must periodically call the business site and remotely access the voice mail system to check for messages.
Some current systems allow for a user to be paged when voice mail is left at their voice mail station. In these systems the voice mail system outputs information using a protocol standard in the communications industry called Telocator Alpha Numeric Paging Protocol (TAP). A TAP message is a signal that typically includes the voice mail number, a page phone number, and the number of messages. This signal is output to a modem placing a telephone call to a paging system leaving a message that a message is waiting, the number of messages and possibly the voice mail number. Most current voice mail systems have a line that outputs the TAP protocol information.
Another existing voice mail-paging system uses In-Band signaling. In-Band signaling is a protocol that many voice mail systems have that causes the voice mail system to make a phone call to a paging system and plays a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal that may include an indication of a new message and the number of messages previously recorded in the system.
Currently, there is no system to provide a message waiting indicator for a remote voice mail system to a cell telephone. It would be desirable to have a signal at a cell telephone indicating that messages are present at a user""s voice mail system at a remote voice mail site without requiring extensive changes to existing voice mail systems. This would allow for a user to have a message waiting indicator, such as a light, on their cell phone. A cell phone user may also have a display on the cell phone that includes alpha numeric data showing the existence of messages and the number of messages.
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method allow for a message waiting indicator to be displayed at a cell phone site indicating that a voice mail message is available at a remote voice mail system. The present invention includes a system that is placed at a voice mail system site and interacts with the voice mail system using industry standard signals, such as TAP and SMDI signals. After gathering the information provided to the voice mail system, the present invention forwards data to a cell server associated with cell phone sites which in turn provides for a message waiting indicator at the appropriate cell phone.
The present invention includes a premise controller that receives signals from the voice mail system when messages are left in voice mail boxes at the voice mail system. The premise controller includes structure for sending a message waiting indicator to an external phone server using the internet.
In a first embodiment, the voice mail system sends SMDI signals to the premise controller.
In a second embodiment, the voice mail system sends SMDI and TAP signals to the premise controller.
In a third embodiment, the voice mail system places a call to the premise controller upon receiving new voice mail. When the premise controller answers, a DTMF code or TAP message is played to the premise controller including a voice mail number, cell phone number, and a number of messages.